The present invention relates to a writing instrument, and more particularly, to a writing instrument that has associated therewith, one or more abrasive surfaces that are adapted to be usable for shaping fingernails.
There are, of course, various implements that are used for shaping finger nails, many of which are simply nail files and have no other useful purpose. As such, those devices are simply carried and used by themselves. On the other hand, there are other devices that have been disclosed and which are combination devices such that the device not only comprises a nail file but may also have an additional purpose. Such combination devices are of an added convenience to the user, particularly if the other use of the device is also a use that would normally entail a device that is carried on one""s person such as, for example, in a woman""s purse.
Accordingly such combination devices can be employed to combine two or more functions in a single device. One of such combination devices is where the device combines the functions of a writing instrument while also providing the convenience and utility of being usable for shaping nails, that is, of being usable as a nail file.
An example of a combination device that combines the functions of a writing instrument and a nail shaping device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,427 of Sherts. In the Sherts patent, however, there is disclosed a writing instrument that includes a means for pushing back the cuticle of the finger as well as having an abrasive strip that can be used for shaping of the fingernails. A problem with the Sherts device, however, lies in the location of the cuticle pusher and the abrasive strip. Both functions are located on the cap of the writing instrument and, as such, the cap may become disengaged from the main body of the instrument during use or, alternatively, can be disengaged to carry out its fingernail shaping function and inadvertently misplaced so that the cap is not replaced on the body of the writing instrument. In addition, of course, the overall length of the strip of abrasive material, being confined to the cap of the writing instrument, is somewhat limited and, as such, the user cannot get a full stroke or full effective use of the nail shaping function.
In additional combination devices of the type discussed, there has also been disclosed, a clip attachment for a pocket carried device, such as a pen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,478,049. However, again, the length of the abrasive surface usable to carry out the shaping of a fingernail is quite limited due to the physical dimensions of a clip employed with a pen and its alternate function of clipping the pen to the pocket of a user.
Other examples of such combination devices that have also been disclosed include Design Pat. No. 257,181 of Brown and U.S. Pat. No. 2,841,156 of Herald, both of which devices are also limited in overall length since they also rely on the clip of a pen for the location of the abrasive strip and thus suffer from the same drawbacks as the previously discussed combination devices. In addition, of course, such constructions severely limit the width of the strip of abrasive material that can be associated with the clips used with pens.
In addition to the problem or deficiency of the aforedescribed prior art devices, relative to the limited length of the abrasive strip, by utilizing the clip, cap or other relatively small component of the writing instrument, the device is limited in the width of the abrasive material and cannot physically provide more than one relatively narrow strip of such material. Thus, with any of these combination devices, it would not be practical to include more than one strip of the abrasive material, such as would be advantageous of one were to desire more the one abrasive strip so as to have differing degrees of abrasiveness, that is, if one were to desire a device having one strip of a material that is a course abrasive and a second strip of a material with a finer abrasiveness on the same writing instrument.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a writing instrument that can be used with a longer surface or strip of abrasive material, but in addition, can have the capability, dimensionally, to provide more than one abrasive surface with differing degrees of abrasive materials so that the user can have additional flexibility and functionality in utilizing the nail shaping function while not detracting from the writing capability of the writing instrument.
The present invention provides a writing instrument combined with a nail shaping function that overcomes the problems and deficiencies of the aforedescribed prior art combination devices. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, a combination writing instrument and nail shaping function is provided in which the writing instrument comprises a main body and where an abrasive strip is provided along that main body of the writing instrument and therefore, the abrasive strip can be extended in length over those uses where the abrasive strip is oriented on the clip or cap of the writing instrument.
The particular writing instrument may be a pencil, ink pen, ball point pen, or the like and is preferable a ball point. As is normal with such instruments, the writing substance is located within the main body of the instrument and, as stated, can be either pencil lead, a normal liquid ink or an ink cartridge for a ball point pen. The exterior surface of the body of the writing instrument, can also be of a variety of configurations, including square, rectangular, oval, round or other geometrical or non-geometrical shapes.
In one embodiment, there are a plurality of abrasive strips located on the exterior surface of the writing instrument, preferably two of such strips, and, in can case of a square external configuration, the two abrasive strips preferably are located on opposite sides of the square configuration. With other external surface configurations, the multiple or plurality of such strips may be contiguous to each other or may be separated by some non-abrasive surface.
As is also preferred in the present invention, where two or more abrasive strips are located on the external surface of the writing instrument, the individual strips may have differing degrees of abrasiveness, that is, one of the strips may have a course abrasive material while the other abrasive material may be comprised of a finer abrasive material so that the user can initially shape the fingernail with the courser material and finish the shaping of the fingernail with the finer abrasive material.
The abrasive strip itself, can be provided in the form of a strip that is affixed to the exterior surface of the writing instrument by means of an adhesive or can be actually molded into or pressed into the external plastic material of the writing instrument and thus embedded into that external surface. As a further embodiment, the strip of abrasive material may be separately provided and slipped into a special formed external slotted surface on the external surface thereof, and then further affixed thereto by an adhesive.
Thus, as explained, with the present invention, there is provided a writing instrument having a strip or strips of an abrasive material located on the exterior surface of the main body of the writing instrument and therefore can be considerably longer in overall length of the abrasive strip as compared to the prior art examples where the abrasive material is applied to a limited area on the instrument such as the cap of a pen or a clip. In addition, with the additional external surface area that is therefore available on the present writing instrument, there can be provided a plurality of strips of the abrasive material and thereby give the user additional flexibility in being able to have a plurality of strips of abrasive material having differing degrees of abrasiveness. Further, as will be seen, the external surface of the main body of the writing instrument may be specially configured so as to add the abrasive strip or strips thereto easily and with minimal additional expense of manufacture.
Other features of the writing implement will become apparent in light of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.